Castlevania: Prelude Of Despair Part II
by Vampiresanddemons
Summary: The conclusion to POD. All of the pieces are falling into place. Serenity's heart is tearing in half, and she doesn't know what to do. After everything she had learned, everything she's been put through, does she have the strength to continue her quest?
1. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI: Changing Knowledge**

Simon walked into the next room, and pushed his way past the other hunters. He remained silent as Hugh and Trevor questioned him. The fourth monster to meet them was a Minotaur. It was larger than most, but certainly not the largest they had seen. It carried a large ax, and was glaring at the hunters in silence with eyes filled with bloodlust.

"I will be facing this one." Simon said simply as he walked towards the Minotaur.

No one said a word as Simon walked up to the monster casually. Each one was thinking what he had planned. The hunters had wanted to save Simon for the final fight as he was considered one of the most skilled hunters they had.

"What is he doing?" questioned Eric.

Simon was standing completely still in front of the Minotaur. He was glaring back at the monster with as much anger as it was him. He was unarmed, and as the Minotaur's ax rose into the air and came crashing down with unimaginable speed and force he remained unarmed.

"Simon!" Nathan yelled, but it was too late.

The ax hit Simon directly, or so it seemed. Simon was standing in the same spot where he had been, but the ax was imbedded in the stone floor mere inches from where he stood.

"It didn't hit him, but…" Hugh said with disbelief, "why? It had the perfect opportunity to hit him."

"I'll tell you why in a moment." Simon answered looking back at the stunned hunters.

Simon made his move as the Minotaur roared in anger. He jumped out of the way of another swing of the ax, and withdrew his whip. The battle lasted only three minutes before the monster was nothing more than a pile of ash at Simon's feet. He turned, and walked back to the others with a small smile.

"This is nothing more than a game." Simon stated as the door to the next room opened. "Whomever this being is wants us to spend as much time fighting his monsters as possible, so he increased their powers to their maximum."

"We already know that." Isaac said bluntly.

Simon smiled at him and continued, "Yes, however we thought the monsters were out for blood. We got so distracted by their increase of power that we failed to notice that Hugh and Nathan didn't get hurt that much."

At this realization set in. It was true that during the first three fights hardly Hugh, Nathan, or Trevor got wounded seriously enough to bleed.

"This is what I figure," Simon continued, "this man, thing, whatever it is, is trying to get us out of the picture for a little while so he can either observe or influence Serenity. The reason we can't sense her is because this part of the castle is in another plain."

"So we are still in the same castle. Damn, I have to say that's smart." Richter mumbled.

Eric nodded and said, "Yes, I am thankful you kept your head Simon. This will make the last two fights go by smoother."

As the hunters turned to advance Simon stopped them, "Hold on. We don't know for sure that the last two fights will be the same. That Necromancer was different from the other three monsters. He wasn't out to kill Trevor, but he was fighting more seriously than the others. If we run into another like him we'll have to be careful."

"What do you suggest?" Hugh asked, "We need to get out of here to help Serenity."

Before anyone could answer the door to the next room slammed shut, and Gabriel's voice greeted them, _"Well now, it seems someone figured out my little game. Bravo Simon Belmont, bravo."_

"We're still following the rules, and we intent to play this out to the end." Simon replied.

_"Oh, I wouldn't have it any other way. In fact I am looking forward to you completing it to the end. I hope you all had your fun, because now I am raising the stakes." _he laughed.

"Wait, before we go any further tell me what you did to my sister." Eric demanded.

_"Sweet Serenity is perfectly safe, I assure you. Did you like the show I put on for you?" _Gabriel cooed.

"Damn it! You did all of that just because you knew we were watching?!" Isaac erupted.

Gabriel laughed once more, _"Certainly Isaac, I needed to get under your skin, and I can see that it worked. Things did not go quite as I had planned, but Serenity and I have all the time in the world to be together now."_

Hugh was shaking with fury as he yelled, "She's not yours!"

Suddenly a puff of black smoke formed in the center of the room, and they saw the owner of the voice for the first time.

His red eyes burned as he stated in a whisper, "I _made_ her _mine_."

"Who is that?" Nathan asked, "His power…it's…"

"It's far too great." Alucard finished. "I know this man, or at least…"

"I do as well…" Simon said.

All of the hunters were in a state of shock, and none of them could move. Gabriel stood before them letting his entire dark power rise to the surface. He was pleased to see that they could not put a name to his face. How amusing. Serenity knew him, yet members of his past family could not even remember his previous name.

"Why do you go by the title Dracula?" Alucard asked.

Gabriel smiled at the _other's _son, "I do not have the time nor desire to tell you that. You will face two more of my monsters, however they have orders to kill you all. As such all of you can fight at once if you like, I no longer care."

"Fine," Trevor shot back, "but if we win this little game of yours we are coming to you for answers. And we will get _answers_."

Gabriel was silent as he glared at Trevor. Hatred rose within him so strong that he almost charged him right then and there. It was only thinking of Serenity that his rage subsided.

He smiled and his eyes grew deeper red as he declared in a harsh voice, "I'm counting on it. Oh, and if you thought the previous demon's powers were at their maximum, I assure you that they were not. Their powers were nothing compared to the final two."

With that Gabriel vanished in a cloud of black smoke. The door reopened to the next room and the hunters continued in silence.

Zobek was standing next to the large window in the room as he finished telling Serenity Gabriel's tale. He started at the very beginning when Gabriel served the Brotherhood of Light, then went into detail about the death of Gabriel's betrothed Marie and the battle between him and Lucifer. Serenity stood watching him as he moved from the window back to the center of the room.

"That still doesn't explain what he wants with me. I know I'm not a replacement, because I've been through all of this before with…" Serenity began before Zobek interrupted her, "Yes I know,"

Zobek had to use all of his will to keep from laughing. The girl still did not understand. "You hold a special place in Gabriel's heart. He learned of you years ago when you first battled Dracula. The Brotherhood sent several warriors to the castle that night to report on the outcome of the battle."

Serenity's eyes widened, "They knew about it? Why didn't they do anything? If they had helped we could have ended it that night!"

This time Zobek could not hold back his laughter, "Do you honestly think it would have made a difference? You have three of Gabriel's family members in your organization, three of the best hunters that ever walked the earth and still Lord Dracula remains a threat."

Serenity remained silent for a time. Lighting flashed outside and a rumble of thunder followed shortly after. Turning her gaze to the window she could just make out the throne room through the heavy rain. "Gabriel," she said quietly, "Zobek, does he have a direct relationship to any of the Belmonts that have been brought through time?"

"Yes," he said with an evil smile, "he is Trevor Belmont's father."

Serenity's heart raced, "Trevor's father? Then he's Simon's grandfather…oh no…"

"Be at ease Serenity," Zobek cooed, "there's no reason for them to know. Gabriel just reveled himself to them and neither Trevor nor Simon recognized him."

"He didn't…" Serenity started.

"I assure you they are all quite safe." Zobek said. Serenity breathed a sigh of relief as Zobek concluded their conversation, "The reason they don't know him is because Gabriel vanished before they even knew him. Trevor was placed into the care of the Brotherhood as an infant, and of course they couldn't let him know who his father was. Both Trevor and Simon were taken out of their respective time by Saint Germain before they could learn of their past, and because of that none of the Belmonts who came after them knew either."

"I must be going now, but I will answer your question before I leave. The reason Gabriel wants to protect you so much is to free the Spirit of Hell from your body, and use it against Lucifer. If he succeeds Chaos and Lord Dracula will follow Lucifer to oblivion. He wants to free mankind from them, and he knows your past is bathed in as much blood as his, so he wants to free both of you from that pain."

Before Serenity could ask anymore of him Zobek vanished before her. At least now she knew what was going on. She walked over to the window and looked up to the throne room. It would not take her long to get there if she kept moving. One thing about the situation still bothered her.

If Zobek were telling the truth, it would not explain how Serenity kept having dreams about Gabriel. In theory she should have been having dreams about him for years, if she would even have them at all. It was clear that Gabriel was not the cause of her dream, so what was? Drawing herself away from the window Serenity continued through the castle.

All she had to do was get up to the seventh floor, cross the bridge to the tower, and enter the throne room. If she continued at her current pace she figured she could get there within an hour. She needed to talk to Gabriel, and now that she was thinking about him she actually wanted to see him.


	2. Chapter 7

Chapter VII: Fire And Flames

The second to last room was much like the others, except it was empty. The silence of the hunters held in the air along with the room's silence. The gravity of their situation was weighing on everyone.

"Do you think he's toying with us?" Richter questioned.

His question remained unanswered by the hunters as a large dark mass of energy formed in the center of the room. Moments later a huge beast was standing in front of them. Three sets of eyes glared at the men as three sets of teeth snapped closed and open, hungry for flesh.

"Cerberus." Nathan said simply.

"No, even with an increase of power Cerberus wouldn't be that strong." Hugh stated looking uneasy.

Isaac stepped forward with his javelin in hand and said darkly, "What ever it is, it's mine. Come, Abel!"

Isaac's Innocent Devil appeared before him ready for battle. Howling with fury Cerberus summoned intense flames that appeared around the room and licked at the walls.

"Wait Isaac," Eric injected as he stepped forward, "we have a new set of rules to play by. I will fight with you."

"Be weary of it, both of you." Nathan warned as he stepped away with the others.

Without waiting for an advance the Graves brothers charged the demon hound. If it was Cerberus or not, they did not care, they wanted to defeat it as fast as possible so they could get into the final room, and then help their sister.

Isaac was the first to reach Cerberus. He jabbed his javelin into the monster's flesh as Abel clawed at one of the faces. Both attempts were futile as they were both knocked away by huge paws. Eric ducked under Isaac as he was thrown past him, and began an attack of his own.

Again the attack was ineffective as he too was thrown back. Howling once more Cerberus stomped on the ground, and sent out a shock wave equal to its size. The stones on the ground broke and crumbled beneath its front paws. Both of the brothers jumped into the air and avoided the shock wave, but they both got hit back down to the floor by Cerberus' paws. Now they were pinned.

"Isaac, Eric!" Nathan shouted.

"Stay there Nathan!" Eric ordered as he coughed up blood. "Let us handle it."

Clenching his teeth Nathan nodded to his brother. They all knew what the two were doing. If they all fought at once they would be able to defeat Cerberus, no matter how strong it was, but then they would have little hope for coming through the final room alive.

"Get off of me!" Isaac yelled and stabbed his javelin into the beast's paw.

As if to answer his protest Cerberus put more pressure on the two brothers causing them to cough up more blood. It lowered all three of its heads and growled at Isaac and Eric. Saliva dripped from its fangs as its golden eyes stared into those of the brothers.

"That's enough." Richter stated and ran into battle.

He grasped his whip tightly and lashed out at the beast. Growling at the sudden sting of pain in its side one of the heads looked back, only to get whipped across the nose. With a renewed sense of rage Cerberus turned its attention away from Isaac and Eric and attacked Richter. Coughing Isaac rose to his feet and swung his javelin at its back legs.

Abel flew and managed to create a large gash in one of Cerberus' ears before it vanished in one of its sets of teeth. Eric was barely standing on his feet as blood dripped from his mouth. He focused all of his strength into his sword and cut into its back right leg. A few moments later the leg fell onto the ground in a massive pool of blood.

Cerberus turned and snapped at Eric, but Isaac was just faster as his javelin impaled the monster through its upper jaw. With the momentum Isaac was able to pull his weapon free before Cerberus reared back. Oddly enough the beast was still on its feet. Blood was flowing steadily from the mouth that had been wounded by Isaac and from the stump that had been its back right leg.

"What the hell?" Eric said spitting blood from his mouth, "It doesn't even seem to notice its missing leg."

"Damn it," Isaac cursed staring at the monster, "what do we have to do to this thing?"

Blood dripped from Richter's hand as he reached for a bottle of holy water. "I have an idea that just might work."

"Richter no, you can't get that close to that thing. It will kill you for sure." Eric said glancing over to him.

Smiling Richter assured him, "You don't have to worry Eric. Just keep that thing's attention away from me for a second and we will win this battle. You know what to do?"

"Yes, we are with you." Eric said with a nod.

Richter ran at Cerberus followed closely by Eric and Isaac. Just as a set of jaws came at Richter it was slammed shut by Eric's sword.

"Hurry Richter! I don't know how long I can hold it." Eric yelled as Richter ran past.

Isaac stabbed and slashed at the other mouth that had been impaled by him earlier. The only free mouth snapped and howled with rage at the brothers. Richter stopped a few feet from the monster and summoned all of his remaining energy. As promised he only needed a second. He hurled the bottle of holy water and steeled himself for what was to come. The bottle broke on Cerberus and engulfed it in blue flames.

"Hey!" Richter shouted as Isaac and Eric backed away.

Cerberus spun around and lunged at Richter, but its rage was its undoing.

"Now you are finished! Grand Cross!" Richter yelled.

An intense light filled the room as crosses flew all around Cerberus. Eric summoned a sealing circle, and once the light died down the beast was nowhere to be seen. All three hunters sank down to their knees as their comrades came to their aid.

"It doesn't look too bad, but you won't be fighting in the next room at all." Simon stated to Eric.

Laughing and then regretting it as he coughed up blood Eric replied, "I've had enough fun for a while."

"Don't overdo it," Richter advised, "remember we might have one more fight on our hands tonight."

The door to the final room opened.

Gabriel sat uneasy in the throne room. He loathed Zobek before, but now he could not even measure it. That fool, he should have known he would say something to Serenity, and in his rage he could not even look to Serenity to see if he had contacted her after he left.

"Damn him." Gabriel whispered to himself.

He was grateful that Serenity was his, but now he could not even look in the direction she was without his heart giving a pull of resentment. He could feel the other coming closer as well. That was thanks to the blood he had taken from Serenity. He was amused that their connection was not as strong as his and Serenity's. He was almost certain that would be a problem.

As Gabriel sits motionless in the throne he is greeted by painful memories of his past life. He does not want what happened to Marie to happen to Serenity, and even though in his heart he knows that he will always love Marie he is growing to love Serenity almost as passionately.

"Marie…" he mutters under his breath.

Suddenly Gabriel is drawn out of his mind and into the present. Something is happening, something that should not be. Forcing himself to focus Gabriel finds the problem. Serenity is fighting a monster on the bridge, but there should not be anything on the bridge to stop her. How did it get there, and for that matter who's is it?

"Zobek." Gabriel growls.

Of course was Zobek. He is forcing his hand to see how he will react. That bastard will do anything for his amusement. He does not know how he managed to get a monster past him, but he will make sure to fix the problem himself. Before Gabriel even has a chance to think of a strategy his entire being is pulled to Serenity. The suddenness and strength of her pull is unexpected even by him. He can feel her, he can hear her, and she needs him to save her. Gabriel does not think as he focuses his mind on the bridge, and teleports.


	3. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII: Thunder And Lightning**

Serenity made it to the bridge without a problem, being that there were no monsters in her path she got to the bridge in less than twenty minutes. She opened the door to the bridge and stepped out. A bolt of lightning followed by a crash of thunder greeted her as she walk onto the bridge. Rain assaulted her as she walked slowly across. Looking up she did not detect any movement in the throne room, but the air around her was steadily growing heavier. Something was watching her.

"Serenity," a voice beckoned from behind her, "what are you doing here of all places?"

Serenity's heart gave a faint jump as she put a face to the voice. Before she had a chance to turn around she was slashed across her back by a sword. Jumping she withdrew her sword and let the flames rise on its blade.

"I should have known this was all too easy." Serenity stated as she glared at the being in front of her.

Brushing his hair from his eyes Chaos smiled at her, "If you're talking about Gabriel, I can assure you that he is not working for me."

"Maybe it's the other way around." Serenity replied.

Chaos shrugged at her, "Believe what you will. In all the time you've known me have I ever really lied to you?" Serenity kept silent as he continued, "I suppose you didn't even feel Dracula, but then…"

"What?" Serenity interrupted, "Dracula is here?!"

Chaos laughed at her disbelief, "Gabriel has you so tied around his finger I bet you can't tell up from down. Let me help you. At this very moment I, Dracula, and your father and uncle are roaming the castle searching for you and your friends. You are not supposed to be here, and you certainly should not have encountered Gabriel."

"Why?" Serenity demanded, "I very well could have an ally in him."

Chaos looked at her dead in the eye, the smile fading from his face. Cursing herself she recalled the dream she had. By now everyone would know that they had exchanged blood.

"I will not let you go to him so easily." Chaos stated, "Lucifer got so worked up when he saw the two of you together that I'm sure he will make an appearance as well."

"When will you get it through your head that I don't belong to any of you? I can do anything I please." Serenity shot back and readied herself for battle.

"You are a fool Serenity, you and Gabriel both!" Chaos yelled.

Serenity was ready for him, but instead of Chaos attacking her he summoned a skeleton dragon. Quickly charging the dragon Serenity wanted to avoid the unnecessary battle with it and fight Chaos. Just as she delivered the first blow a huge bolt of lightning struck the bridge and threw her off balance.

"Why don't you fight me yourself?" Serenity called to Chaos as the dragon took to the sky.

Chaos remained silent as he watched the two fight. He knew the power Gabriel's blood had, however he did not know how it would affect Serenity's strength. When he saw the two exchange blood he shook with rage, but he knew if he tried to intervene Gabriel would kill him. Chanting a spell Chaos increased the dragon's strength just enough to be a match for Serenity's original power. In truth Chaos did not want to fight her here. The probability of Gabriel appearing was much too high for his liking.

"You can't see what he is Serenity," Chaos said suddenly catching her off guard, "if only you would see with your eyes instead of your heart perhaps you could avoid…"

Chaos broke off as he saw Serenity's reaction. For the first time since he could remember she was looking at him with hurt in her eyes. The distraction Chaos caused opened a window of opportunity for the dragon, and it took it. Roaring in anger the dragon's tail whipped around and caught Serenity across her midsection. Competently unaware of her surroundings Serenity slammed against the side of the bridge and flipped over the stone rail.

"Serenity!" Chaos yelled in horror.

Serenity's sword hit the bridge with a clang as her hands reached in vain to the rail. She missed it by mere inches, and Chaos' hand missed hers by the same distance as he tried to grab her. Unlike most other vampires Serenity could not turn into an animal or teleport herself at will. She knew the fall would not kill her, but her anxiety of being unconscious for an unseen amount of time put her on edge.

"Gabriel!" she screamed as she began her decent.

Serenity did not mean to yell for Gabriel of all people. Her eyes closed shut, and suddenly she heard a puff of smoke beside her. Opening her eyes again she stared into Gabriel's crimson eyes. They were both falling, but he seemed not to care. He put his arms around her gently, and before she could even say anything to him her vision blackened for a second and then she was in the throne room.

Chaos watched Gabriel appear before her and take her to safety. His rage escalated and finally peaked as he destroyed his dragon and glared up to the throne room. Black tears formed in his eyes, but he would not let them spill over as he walked as calmly as he could up to the throne.

The hunters stood in silence as they waited for their final battle to begin. They could now feel everything in the castle. They felt Serenity, Gabriel, Chaos, Dracula, Death, Necromancer, and just recently Lucifer. Each one was put on alert as they felt the sadness and confusion in Serenity's heart, and then the horrified and wrathful feelings of Chaos. Something had happened, and when they could not take it anymore Trevor had formed a seeing circle.

"Is she…?" Hugh questioned quietly as he and the others watched as Gabriel saved her from her fall.

"I rather doubt it." Nathan stated cutting him off and looking away.

A black mass formed in the center of the room as Trevor closed the circle. Several of the hunters, the Graves' brothers for the most part, inhaled sharply as their final opponent took form. A doppelganger stood with its head lowered, its clothes, stance, and even its weapon mirrored that of Serenity. Slowly raising its head an image of a sad Serenity Graves stood before them. Its eyes were crying red tears as it pointed its sword at the group.

"That bastard," Hugh said with hate, "how could he manage to create a doppelganger of her?"

Lowering his head Simon answered, "It feels more then just a doppelganger. It's almost as if…"

"Why…?" the creature questioned.

"What the hell?!" Nathan stated taking a step back, "Since when could…I thought they couldn't talk."

"Why…?" it said again looking at each of the hunters individually and coming to a stop at Alucard.

The creature's tears were steadily staining its clothes, as well as the floor around it. The hunters stood motionless staring at it. None of them had ever heard of a doppelganger having the power to talk before. The power to create a successful one alone was immense, but to actually give it the ability to communicate was unheard of.

"I…I don't want…to do this…" the doppelganger said through its tears, "Why…do I have to hurt you…why?"

"Enough!" Eric shouted cringing a bit at a mild pain running through his body, "Stop acting like the real Serenity!"

Taking a few steps forward the creature smiled briefly before replying, "Eric…what are you taking about…how could you…?"

Before it could finish its sentence Nathan tossed a bottle of holy water in front of it. Anger burned in his eyes as it dodged the flames and glared at him.

"Why did you do that? Why Nathan?" it demanded.

"You are not Serenity." he said stepping forward.

"Nathan no," Alucard stated as he walked past him calmly, "let me take care of this."  
>Before anyone could object the doppelganger clapped its hands and smiled, "Yes, that would be perfect Adrian. You, who feel nothing but hate and disgust towards me, would be the perfect one to kill me."<p>

Alucard said nothing as he withdrew his blade. The other hunters backed away as the battle began. They each felt in their hearts that the battle would be decided one on one, as it should be. None of them thought they would have the courage to fight both physically and mentally with the doppelganger. Several minutes passed before Alucard stopped mid attack and dodged away from the creature.

"What's wrong Adrian? Are you not enjoying yourself?" it questioned breathing hard.

"No, simply put the real Serenity could never seriously fight me. From what I've seen you are deliberately trying to avoid hitting me." he said sheathing his sword. "This fight was over before it even began, now let us pass."

The doppelganger took a step back, and lowered its head as it replied, "I don't know why he gave me her feelings. I was perfect the way I was until he made me feel. How could anyone live with this much pain in their heart?"

"You have all of her strengths as well as all of her weaknesses. Only the real Serenity could handle it all." Alucard said coming forward. "You know what I have to do?"

"Yes," it said quietly, "a fitting end for me."

Just as Alucard raised his hand to deliver the final blow the doppelganger doubled over on itself screaming in pain.

"What is this?!" it screamed as it looked up to Alucard.

Bringing his hand down with great speed Alucard ended the creature's pain stating simply, "Your heart."

The doppelganger looked to him through tear filled eyes and stated, "She loves you, you know. Even after everything that has happened, including tonight, she still truly loves you."

"I know." Alucard replied as the doppelganger turned to dust at his feet.


	4. Chapter 9

Chapter IX: Longing Wishes

Serenity was standing embraced by Gabriel in the throne room. She was still confused by what just happened as she stared into his eyes. She felt his arms harden around her body as her senses dulled. Gabriel's blood was working against hers, and in turn the blood he had taken from her was doing the exact same thing.

"Serenity, you're hurt." he said softly as he stared at her.

Swallowing Serenity replied, "It's nothing serious."

Tilting his head ever so slightly he asked, "Was that Chaos I saw on the bridge?"

Serenity tried to answer, but her voice failed her so she gave a nod. A tremble rocked her slightly. As she tried to conceal it she only trembled more against Gabriel. A look of concern formed on his face as she realized that her eyes had filled with blood. She did not understand why she was acting this way. It was childish, and yet looking at Gabriel only made her worse.

"It's okay Serenity," Gabriel stated as he pulled her into him, "I won't let him harm you.

With her head against Gabriel's chest Serenity let two drops leave her eyes as she mumbled, "I don't understand."  
>"I do," Gabriel answered before she could even question him, "our blood is becoming one, as it should. You are scared of what you are feeling for me, and also of what the others will think for joining with me."<p>

The last bit of his statement made Serenity calm down the instant she heard it. She tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

"Gabriel…" she began.

"Don't call me that, please Serenity." he whispered into her hair, "You might bring back the part of me that has been dead for centuries. I don't want that for you."

Another wave passed over Serenity as she struggled to form her words, "I don't want to join you, if anything I want you to join us. The hunters would…"

"No!" Gabriel shouted and pulled her away from him, "You will join with me so I can protect you!"

Before she could protest Gabriel brought his face to hers and kissed her. Even if she wanted to push him away her body was in no position to listen to her. Gabriel's arms twisted their way around her waist and up through her hair forcing her head against his. To her surprise she soon found herself kissing him back. Her arms would not listen to her commands, but her body drew closer to his and she let her eyes fall closed.

_"Serenity," _a voice whispered harshly in her mind, _"what are you doing?"_

Serenity's eyes shot open. Gabriel was still kissing her passionately, but she had stopped all motion. That voice.

_"I am surprised at you." _the voice said louder and with more malice.

Serenity pushed Gabriel away gently causing him to open his eyes. He was about to protest against her, but the look he saw in her eyes made him stop short. Before she could explain what was happening the door to the throne room burst open, and Chaos stormed in.

"Get away from her!" he screamed and charged at them both. "I know it's because of your blood that she's acting this way!"

Gabriel laughed at him as he teleported Serenity and himself away from Chaos' attack, "We are destined to be together. You're too clouded with jealously because it is not you in my place."

Leaving her side Gabriel engaged Chaos in battle. As their battle raged a dark entity appeared across from Serenity. She knew what it was, and it appeared that Gabriel and Chaos knew it was there as well, however they were more interested in one another for the time being.

"You let your emotions get the better of you again." the voice said to her as the dark mass in front of her took on form.

Stepping back against the wall she replied, "That seems to be my undoing lately."

"Don't go near her!" Gabriel shouted as he teleported in front of Serenity.

Seconds later Lucifer was smiling at them, "Regardless of what the four of you think Serenity has and will always belong to me, no matter what she feels in her heart."

_"Four?" _Serenity thought, and before she could even realize what had happened Lord Dracula was in front of the throne.

"No, Serenity will decide for herself who she will stay with." Dracula stated looking at her.

The sudden turn of events was quickly turning Serenity's heart to ice. For the first time in what seemed like forever she did not know what to do. She sensed her brothers and the other hunters making their way towards her, and once they reached the throne and saw the battle taking place they would join in as well. Without her sword there was little she could do against any of the three, but in her heart this was a battle to win her hand, not a battle against her.

There were no more words amongst them as they stared each other down. Dracula, Chaos, Lucifer, and Gabriel were all glaring at one another, and without a single move from any of them the battle that had started with Chaos and Gabriel erupted into a war between the most powerful beings of all time. All Serenity could do was watch as the battle continued.

The hunters had just emerged on the bridge when they felt an enormous gathering of energy. A battle in the throne room was taking place.

"My God, they're all there," Trevor stated looking ahead to the door that would lead to the throne, "Lord Dracula, the man who calls himself Dracula, Lucifer, and Chaos."

"And Serenity is stuck right in the middle of it." Eric continued as they ran across the bridge.

"Look!" Nathan shouted and pointed to the ground in front of them, "Is that Serenity's?"

Without loosing speed Simon bent and scooped up the sword, "Damn, it is. She's in there with no way to defend herself!"

They continued across as a huge bolt of lighting pierced the sky. They did not stop to discuss a plan of any sort as Simon threw the door to the throne room open. Inside was a massive chaotic battle. All four were fighting against each other as Serenity stood on the other side of the room watching in disbelief. As the hunters ran into the room the battle stopped short.

"Well now, what have we here? More children?" Lucifer said with a smile.

"Let Serenity go!" Nathan shouted as he withdrew his whip.

Chaos laughed and replied, "We are not keeping her here. She is curious which one of us she will have the honor of spending the rest of eternity with.

Before anyone could answer Serenity shouted with all her might, "Stop!"

At that very moment time itself stopped. Everything was still in the room as well as the storm raging outside. Serenity stood with her head down shaking slightly.

"You really must be careful what you ask for." a voice warned her sternly.

"I can't take this anymore," Serenity said bringing her head up, "my heart is so turned around I don't know what it wants."

Saint Germain walked towards her from the center of Gabriel and Chaos stating, "If you can't hear what your heart has to say I'm afraid this will only bring you pain and misery. The choice is yours alone to make. None of them have it in their power to make the decision for you, and that is why they are fighting like a bunch of children."

"Please," Serenity pleaded, "can't you do something?"

"My hands are tied, you of all people should know this." he said placing a hand on her shoulder, "I can give you a little advice. Through everything I have seen, both regarding you and history itself, matters of the heart cannot be determined through brute force. The choice you will have to make is going to change everything, but you can't be afraid of what you decide, and you certainly can't be afraid of what your friends and family will think of you for that choice. Listen to your heart."

With that Saint Germain vanished once more and time continued to flow. Serenity did not hear what the others were saying, because at that very moment Zobek was standing beside her.

"He always meddles in affairs that are not his." he stated as he took Serenity by the arm.

"What are you…" Serenity started, but was cut short as Zobek threw her out the window.

All conversation in the room came to a halt as all eyes were on Zobek as he smiled, "Forgive the intrusion, but I have work to do."

With that he followed Serenity through the hole in the window onto the bridge. Serenity had landed hard on her back, but by the time Zobek joined her she was already on her feet.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded as Zobek unsheathed a sword from his side.

Zobek answered her with a direct attack. Serenity was so flustered she could not dodge the attack in time. She heard her name being called by several people, but she could not put faces to the voices as blood dripped from her side. Zobek gave a harsh twist and caused her to doubled over onto the bridge. She was coughing up blood as he stood over her holding his sword.

"I really must speed this along." he grinned and brought the sword dripping blood over his head.

_"What is going on?!" _Serenity questioned herself as she watched her blood drip from the sword, _"This shouldn't be happening. I can't…I can't…"_

Zobek brought the sword down hard, but Serenity caught it in mid swing. His eyes widened as Serenity looked at him. Her eyes were completely red, and the air around her was growing steadily hotter. The rain that was still falling from the sky sizzled as it touched the air around her, and soon it could not even touch her skin as it evaporated.

"I see," Zobek stammered as he released the sword, "so this is what it was like that night."

Serenity said nothing as her mouth opened slowly reveling sharp teeth. She grasped the hilt of the sword with her free hand and brought it in front of her ready to strike.

"Serenity! No!" Nathan yelled from the window and jumped down.

"Nathan! Stay away from her!" Eric demanded, but he did not listen.

Running at full speed Nathan pushed past Zobek and stood in front of his sister. Serenity's nails, hair, and teeth were beginning to grow longer as the air around her intensified and grew heavier.

"Listen to me Serenity, don't listen to what they said, what ever it was. You don't have to choose between any of them, you can…" Nathan began, but stopped as he noticed the Spirit of Hell show itself behind her.

"Nathan!" Eric shouted again.

"Serenity please, that's not who you are!" Nathan begged.

Once more Serenity said nothing, and a sudden bloodlust came over her. Screaming in rage she jumped past Nathan and Zobek and ran back through the window she was thrown through. Again she was standing in the throne room.

Serenity's voice was much darker then it had been before, as she spoke, "For the last time, I _do not_ belong to _any of you!_ I would rather _die _before being with any of you! I am not a prize to be won, and if anyone thinks otherwise I will fight you here and now to the death if I have to!"

A look of surprise came over everyone as the room began to grow hot. Serenity had never spoken while under the Spirit of Hell's influence, and she had never spoken so harshly before. Rage fuelled her essence as her eyes circled the room. She could feel the Spirit's influence on her, but it seemed different somehow. Serenity could not understand why she was feeling this now, but as her eyes caught sight of the strange spirit with the broken mask she realized that she was going against her heart instead of listening to it.


	5. Chapter 10

**Chapter X: Hell's Fury**

"Serenity…" Lucifer marveled as he took a step toward her, "you are beautiful. Such a shame this did not happen sooner."

Serenity said nothing as she continued to glare at the four men standing before her. She could feel the Spirit of Hell's hands on her shoulders, but unlike all the other times it influenced her it was not trying to make her act upon its own wishes.

"Serenity!" Nathan shouted as he leapt through the window. He was about to protest once more, but as she turned towards him he took a step back, "This isn't you."

"How do you know what I am Nathan?" she questioned darkly brining Zobek's sword up to his neck, "I haven't known who I was for centuries.

She put pressure on the sword drawing blood from her brother. A gust of wind from the window blew her hair away from her. She was truly beautiful in the moonlight, however her dark aura and the presence of the spirit made her look more menacing.

"Everyone knows this isn't who you are." Eric said lightly as he walked towards her.

Whipping around she now pointed the sword at him demanding, "Stay away from me Eric!"

Her harshness stopped him in his tracks. Lucifer laughed lightly at the sudden turn of events. Serenity was now against everyone in the room even if she or anyone else could not see it. With the spirit influencing her it took everything she had to keep it under control.

"You can't see it can you?" Zobek asked from the door, "That girl's heart is so confused it doesn't even know up from down. You may as well…"

"Enough." Alucard interrupted and unsheathed his sword.

All eyes were on him as he walked across the room towards Serenity.

"Adrian, what are you doing?" Eric asked as he walked past him, but he stayed focused on Serenity.

"If you want to draw blood so badly, then fight me." he declared and prepared himself for battle.

"Adrian…" Serenity struggled as she dropped the sword a few inches, "what…"

She could not form any more words. Rage fueled her as she stared at him. The intensity of the air around her was making it hard for her to breath. Her hair was beginning to stick to her face as the temperature continued to increase.

"Fight me Serenity!" Alucard yelled and lunged at her.

"Adrian no!" Eric called out in vain.

Serenity lost herself in the heat and the spirit took over. Her eyes burning crimson she met Alucard's lunge with one of her own. Their swords clashed numerous times before they backed away. Seconds later they were fighting once more. Screaming in rage Serenity hit Alucard with all her strength and sent him crashing through a second window onto the bridge below.

"What is he thinking? Gabriel murmured to himself.

"He doesn't think he can beat her in that state does he? Even Lucifer couldn't control her when she lost control before." Isaac stated.

Shaking his head Simon said, "I don't think he wants to beat her. If anything…maybe he wants to calm her down."

"Fighting isn't going to calm her down," Hugh said crossing his arms, "it's just going to get her angry and lose herself."

Furrowing his brow Richter remarked, "Maybe that's what it's going to take."

"Richter?" Nathan questioned looking at him in question.

"What he means is Adrian is going to try calming her down by fighting her and playing on her emotions. Regardless of what everyone thinks Serenity's heart has always belonged to one person, and no matter how confused she is he is her soul mate." Trevor explained.

Alucard landed on his back much like Serenity had earlier, and just like she did he was on his feet before she joined him on the bridge. The storm raged around them and intensified in both rain and lighting as Serenity walked towards Alucard. She did not talk to him, but inside she could feel her heart begin to rip in two.

"Stop holding back Serenity. I want you to come at me with everything you have. If you don't I'm going to kill you." Alucard said hardening his eyes.

Serenity stopped dead as she stared at him. A bolt of lighting shot across the sky. Adrian had never actually threatened her life before. Even when he fought her under the command of Lisa he was never serious about killing her.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"You heard me very well. I. Will. Kill. You." he said once more.

Serenity trembled as she stared into his eyes with disbelief.

_He thinks I'm a monster just like everyone else. He's just the same as everyone else. Monster….MONSTER! _The words screamed in her mind as she released the sword and dropped to her knees. Her body trembled as the heat around her vanished. The rain beat into her and soaked her through, but she did not care. Lighting and defining thunder argued around her, but she did not hear nor see them. That word again, _MONSTER_, he had not said it but in her mind it was clear that he saw her no different from the demons they slew.

Serenity threw her head back and let out a blood curdling scream that shook the night far more then the thunder. Jumping to her feet she ran at Alucard with such blinding speed that even he did not see her advance. She was unarmed, but in her state she did not need a weapon at all. She hit Alucard with such a force that he went flying back several feet across the bridge. Serenity threw her right arm out to the side, and suddenly fire spread across the entire right side of the bridge. She did the same thing with her left arm, and fire crawled across the left side of the bridge.

Even with the intensity of the rain it did nothing to affect the fire Serenity summoned. Alucard was back on his feet, but blood dripped from his mouth and his sword was touching the ground. Serenity did not wait for him as she jumped into the air. She landed in front of him in seconds and immediately began assaulting him slashes from her nails as well as fire she was summoning from her hands. He was fighting back and defending himself well, but in the end she was too much for him as she sent him flying once more.

Blood stained the bridge as Alucard struggled to maintain his grip on his sword. He coughed up blood as he struggled to his feet. Serenity was in front of him and jerked the sword from his hand. She threw it behind her without any emotion and grabbed Alucard by the throat. She hardened her grip and caused him to cough up more blood. Her free hand raised and positioned itself directly over his heart. She growled at him as he looked at her with weak eyes.

"See…"Alucard said as he coughed and winced at the pain, "you don't need them. You don't need…any of them."

Serenity tightened her grip on his neck even more as she brought her hand back. Memories of her mother's death played in her mind. This was just the way she had died, and now Adrian was going to join her.

"Before you do it…I want to tell you something." Alucard stammered as his vision clouded, "I know what you said before…about you being the cause of all of this…it's not true…nothing you could have done…would have saved you…or any of the others…from all of this misery…Serenity…I…"

Alucard choked and could not say another word as Serenity brought her hand down hard. Instead of going through his heart Serenity jabbed him in the chest and let him fall. Surprisingly he was still conscious.

"You are such an idiot Adrian!" Serenity yelled at him, "How can you say that this isn't my fault?! If I wasn't here none of this would be happening!"

Struggling Alucard got back to his feet and slapped her across the face. The sound echoed through the air as the storm began to subside. Serenity's eyes widened as she looked back at him.

"If you weren't here what would there be to fight for?!" he demanded as he took her by the shoulders. He could not stop his words, and for once he did not care what he said to her, "You always think so negatively of yourself! You always view yourself as a burden or a monster and I'm sick of it! You are who you are and nothing will ever change that! From the very first time I saw you I knew there was something special about you, and it wasn't because of the Spirit of Hell, your past, or our future! It was because of how strong you were, how beautiful you were, and how much you wanted to show others that you were just as strong as they were! That's what made me fall in love with you, and that's why I'm still in love with you, because I know that woman is still inside you somewhere!"

Through all of Alucard's words Serenity was slowly returning to normal. Her eyes got the slight tint of blue back to them, and her teeth returned to how they used to be. The Spirit of Hell could no longer be seen behind her as tears formed in her eyes.

"You were so clouded by your own problems that you never took notice of how I really felt. You thought I was avoiding you because I hated you, but the truth was I was avoiding you because I didn't want to see you get hurt. When ever I talked to you my heart hurt so much because I wanted to be with you, and when I learned that you thought I hated you it tore me up inside." Alucard finished as he staggered back.

Serenity caught him before he fell. The last drops of rain had fallen from the sky as she eased him down to the stones. Her heart was beating so fast, and she could feel the eyes of the others in the throne room on her, but she did not care.

"Adrian, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she said through her tears, "I never meant to cause you so much pain."

Putting her hands on his chest she preformed her strongest healing spell. In moments he was sitting up and looking at her in the fading moonlight. He ran a hand through her newly long silky hair and sighed.

With her help he got to his feet and assured her, "It's okay Serenity. Don't cry, you know how much your brothers hate that."

Nodding she looked back towards the throne room to see the other hunters emerge from the door. Gabriel, Zobek, Lucifer, Chaos, and Dracula had all vanished from the throne. No one noticed when they had left, but it was the common belief that they left after the battle. After a few short words the hunters turned to leave the castle.

"What now?" Isaac questioned as he closed the castle door behind him.

"We'll return to the camp for now, that's all we can do at this point." Eric said as they continued on their way.

Serenity hesitated as the others walked ahead of her. A few seconds later they all turned to look back at her as she turned her back on them.

"I want to apologize to all of you for the way I've been acting." she said as she stared at the castle, "We're a team, but I've been acting on my own for a while now. The next battle will decide our fate, I'm certain of that now."

"What do you mean Serenity?" Nathan asked with concern.

Turning to face them with hard eyes she explained, "Gabriel, Chaos, Lucifer, and Dracula are all against one another, but the real threat is Lucifer. He knows that, and he knows our strength. He is going to make his move, and he's going to do it soon."

"Wait, Gabriel?" Simon asked with disbelief, "Who..?"  
>Serenity was taken back from his question. She had forgotten that Gabriel never told them who he was and cursed under her breath.<p>

"No…that's not possible…" Trevor stammered and looked at Simon, "That's not the same Gabriel…"

"I'm sorry," Serenity said and came forward, "the man who called himself Dracula is actually Gabriel Belmont."

The look of shock and horror appeared on everyone's faces, the Belmonts most of all.

"No…" Trevor stammered again, "No!"

"Trevor, I wish it wasn't true, but it is." Serenity said and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We need to leave." Alucard injected and pointed towards the rising sun.

Without objections the hunters left the castle and headed back towards the village. They were unaware of the eyes watching them from the woods as well as the strange figure that had guided Serenity earlier. What Serenity had said was true; the final battle was very close. There was no way to know if Chaos, Gabriel, Dracula, or Zobek would aid the hunters in the fight against Lucifer. They all knew the threat Lucifer was to all of them, and now that he had seen Alucard's true feelings for Serenity he would be more ruthless then ever.

"We'll need a strategy," Serenity stated as she walked into the hotel room followed by her brothers.

"What do you mean strategy?" Nathan questioned falling onto one of the beds.

"I want to ask Gabriel and Dracula for help in defeating Lucifer…" she began but was interrupted by Eric.

"Are you insane?" he demanded.

Shaking her head she replied, "No, but we won't be able to do it by ourselves. He's far too powerful."

The conversation continued into the early morning, and soon a decision was reached.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Lucifer laughed uncontrollably in the deepest pit of Hell as he listened to Serenity's plan. As if Gabriel Belmont and Dracula would ever be a match for him. It was true Gabriel would be more of a problem then any of them, but it was nothing he could not handle. The girl amused him. She was worried that he would be more threatening now that she had a knight in shining armor looking after her. The results would be the same regardless.

"My dear Serenity," he cooed to himself, "why do you still not understand? No matter who you have by your side to protect you and aid you I will still take you for myself."

Sitting lightly in his throne his dark aura twisted and snaked its way around his body. He smiled as he summoned the image of Serenity before him. He enjoyed watching her sleep almost as much as he enjoyed watching her in pain. His mind worked up images of her sitting beside him, and being ruled by him.

"You were right about one thing my dear," he smiled, "the final battle is coming soon."

Reaching his hand out in front of him he plucked a soul out of the air and crushed it between his fingers. Above him a scream echoed through the flames of Hell as he began to laugh once more.

**End**


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